Improvement in anvil-beds



A. HITCHCOCK.

ANVIL-BEDS.

No.175,Z84.

Patented March 28,1876.

fly-Z.

' llil n Wafnmwas:

r q I I NPETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFH R UNITED ALONZO HITOHOOGK,

PATENT Carr-ca.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPRQVgE-MENT IN ANVlL-BEDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,284, dated March28, 1876; application filed August 20, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALQNZO HITCHCOOK, of the city, county and StateofNew York, have invented an Improvement in Anvil-Beds, of which thefollowing .is a specification, reference being had to the drawingaccompanying the same.

This invention relates to the combination of atmospheric air with waterin the formation of an anvil-bed, wherein the force of blows upon theanvil is measurably expended in simultaneously moving the water andcompressing the air.

In the accompanying drawings 1 have shown an anvil-bed embodying thesaid invention.

Figure l isa central vertical section, and Fig. 2 an elevation, of mycombined water and air anvil-bed and anvil.

Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the drawing.

A is a strong metal cylinder, and B a plunger, fitted into the neck ofthe cylinder, the latter being provided with apacking, a, forming awater-tight joint around the plunger, while the said plunger ispermitted to have longitudinal movement in the cylinder. 0 is the anvilat the top of the plunger. The said plunger is cored to form in it thecentral chamber D, open at the bottom and closed at the top, as shown.The cylinder is provided with a small aperture, 1), through which watermay be forced into the cylinder by a force-pump,

E, and the plunger is provided with a small aperture, 0, through whichair may be forced into the chamber D by an air force-pump, F. Bothapertures are provided with suitable stop-valves. Before water isintroduced into the cylinder the plunger will rest on the bottom of thecylinder, or may be suspended therein by the flange d resting upon thetop of the said cylinder. By forcing water into the cylinder the plungerand anvil may be raised to any desired height within the length of thecylinder. Upon introducing the water into the cylinder, if the air itcontains is allowed to escape, the water will take itsplace and entirelyfill both the chamber D and the space in the cylinder not occupied bythe plunger. Under these conditions the water con stitutes the immediatebed of the anvil, and

- is, of course, practically solid and inelastic,

and the entire force ofa blow upon the anvil beyond that expended inovercoming the inertia of the anvil and plunger will be communicatedhydraulically to the interior surface ofthe cylinder A and the upperparts of the chamber D, no movement of the water taking place, and it iswell known that it is practically impossible to control the rendingaction upon the cylinder of such force so applied. If, however, thecontained air is not allowed to escape upon the introduction of thewater, or if afterward air is forced in through the aperture c, it will,it is evident, be imprisoned over the water at the top of the chamber D,where it will be compressed to a degree due to the weight of the anviland plunger, and constitute an elastic cushion, upon which the plungerwill rest, and a downward motion of the plunger will not only furthercompress the air, but also move the entire mass of the water. Moreover,this movement of the water must take place under the pressure to whichit is at the instant subjected, for it is evident that as the plungermoves downward a portion of the water below it is displaced and causedto rise into the chamber against the air at 0, whereby the air isquickly compressed between the downward-moving upper end surface of theaforesaid chamber D and the upward-moving column of water containedwithin said chamber, and at the same instant there is caused a movementamong themselves of all the atoms of the entire body of water in thecylinder, and this latter movement taking place under intense pressure,will consume force for its accomplishment in proportion to the pressure.

Under the above specified conditions the air at e, in the chamber D, iscompressed until it offers a resistance equal to the weight of theplunger B and anvil G. Then if a blow is delivered upon the anvil itsforce is first expended in overcoming the inertia of the anvil .andplunger, then in simultaneously compressing still further the air at e,and displacing a part of the water below the plunger, forcing it intothe chamber D, thereby causing a movement among themselves of the atomsof the whole body of water, and only the force remaining after theexpenditure of so much of it as is required to produce the movementsabove described will reach the cylinder A, while the elasticity oftheair prolongs the time in which the expenditure of the force takes place,thereby diminishing its concussive action upon the cylinder and thefoundation upon which the cylinder may rest.

The extent of the elastic action of the air under a given pressure isdetermined by the amount of air confined, and this amount may beregulated by means of the force-pump F. The anvil may be elevated orlowered by increasing or diminishing the amount of water in the cylinderby the force-pump E.

Instead of locating the chamber D in the interior of the plunger, it maybe in a separate cylinder or pipe, closed at the upper end, the lowerend opening into the cylinder A below the plunger. The preferablearrangement,

however, is to locate it in the plunger, as shown in the drawing, and Iwould also recommend that the lower end of the hollow cylinderconstituting the cored body of the plunger should be beveled to an edge,whereby the plunger is made to rest almost wholly upon the air-cushione, and the concussive action upon the parts of a blow upon the anvil isthereby almost wholly relieved.

This combined water and anvil bed is useful to diminish the concussiveeffect of any heavy blow, and is specially adapted to and advantageousfor the forging of large masses of metal under hammers of great weight,or taking up the recoil of heavy ordnance.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An anvil-bed, composed of atmospheric air and water, confined andoperating as described, so that a blow upon the anvil, causing itsmovement, acts to compress the air and communicate motion to the water,as herein set forth, and for the purpose specified.

Witness my hand this 16th day of August, 1875.

ALONZO HITOHOOOK.

Witnesses:

B. S. CLARK, FRED BOND.

